Managing your stress to look and feel better

We all know that stress isn't good for us. You're probably familiar with the feeling of your heart beating more quickly, your hands and feet getting sweaty and your breathing getting more shallow, or maybe your stomach ties itself in knots, you get 'nervous poos', or you skin starts to break out. We can feel that our emotions have a physical impact on our bodies, but wearing a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) can show us what's happening on the inside.

My skin in 2020 - when I'm stressed I have a tendency to get small bumps on my forehead.

I was wearing a CGM whilst going through the process of buying our house. As you can imagine, this involved quite a few stressful phone calls with lawyers, estate agents and mortgage brokers. Whilst I was wearing it I enjoyed seeing the impact of my food and drinks on my blood sugar levels, but I found it surprisingly interesting to see how lifestyle things, like stress, exercise and sleep, also affected my body. The picture below shows exactly what happened to my blood sugar after a phone call with the lawyer - as you can see, it spikes!

The food I'd had for lunch raised my blood sugar very slightly, but the gentle curve shows that the increase was fairly slow and that it went back to its baseline quickly. My phone call an hour later however, resulted in a steep increase in blood sugar and then a quick decrease.

These steep, stress-induced spikes happen because the body wants enough sugar (energy!) quickly available. Stress is stress from the body's perspective, so although you may just be on a phone call, your body is preparing you to run from a sabre-toothed tiger.

To increase the available energy in our blood, this is what happens to our hormones:

• Our insulin levels fall, meaning less glucose is moving from the blood into the cells, so our blood sugar rises

• Our glucagon and adrenaline levels increase, so more glucose is released from the liver into the blood

• Our cortisol levels also rise, which means our muscles and fat cells are less responsive to insulin, leading to insulin resistance in the long-run

In summary, stress leads to high blood sugar, which can lead to insulin resistance and its associated issues, including type 2 diabetes, PCOS, weight gain, and poor energy production. High blood sugar is also detrimental to our cardiovascular health, kidney health and nerves, but that's for another day!

We can't avoid stress, but there are things we can do to try and limit the effects of it. Here are some of the things I like to turn to:

1. Take deep breaths: Whilst I'm stressed, I'll take 4 long, slow, intentional breaths. I like to breathe in for about 4 seconds hold it for a couple, then breathe out for 4 seconds, hold it for a couple, and repeat.

2. Go for a walk: This is good both in the moment and preventatively. I always feel more restless and angsty at the end of the day if I haven't had a walk or spent much time outside. Just a 10 minute walk around the block can help to clear your head and regulate your stress hormones.

3. Use lavender oil: If I'm stressed or if I'm going to do something which might be stressful, like give a presentation for example, I'll dab some drops of lavender essential oil onto the insides of my wrists and inhale deeply a few times. Works a charm.

4. Stay off screens: I always try and stay off my phone for at least the first and last 30 mins of my day, and I've found this has been amazing for my sleep and stress levels. If I'm feeling particularly anxious or restless, I'll put away my screens and give my eyes and brain a break. Sometimes this means lying on the floor for a few minutes (if I'm at home!), or getting up to go to the loo or get a glass of water if lying on the floor is not socially acceptable but you don't have enough time for a walk...

5. Write it down: I find this is a really nice way to get thoughts out of your head, whether it's a mental to-do list, a task looming over you, or something embarrassing you said the other day.

6. Set boundaries: Our lives are busy, you don't need to say yes to every invitation that comes your way or go to the 7:30am gym class consistently. Look for ways you can slow down and take things off your plate.

7. Get the right nutrients: Stress is a big nutrient depletor. Producing stress hormones uses a lot of vitamin C, magnesium, B5, B6 and zinc, so eating a nutrient dense diet is super important. When we're stressed it's common to turn to extra convenient and/or comforting foods or to skip meals altogether, but this is actually one of the most important times to be eating intentionally and choosing food to support your body.

If you'd like support on managing stress, improving blood glucose control and insulin sensitivity, or anything else, please feel free to book in for a free discovery call using the button below. I'd love to hear from you!

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